chapter one Satan’s First Lie
I believe, without any doubt in my heart, that Jesus is returning very soon, and this truly brings me hope, joy and a sense of humble awe that excites my very bones.
It’s true that there was a time that the thought of Christ’s return was not so welcoming. Not only because I knew I was unprepared, but also because I felt that my children and I would be robbed of the opportunities of this life – as if what God has prepared for us in life-eternal wouldn’t compare to the successes of this world.
I don’t think this way anymore, for I believe God’s Word that says no “...eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (1 Cor 2:9). This clearly speaks to me of the amazing beauty, joy and splendour that transcends our ability to even comprehend.
However, with the soon return of Christ comes a very dire warning about deception – and this is the heart of my message - for yes, when the disciples asked Jesus “...when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” (Matt 24:3), Jesus’ first words were…
“Take heed that no man deceives you.” Matthew 24:4
But Jesus didn’t stop there, for he continued to warn us that prior to His return there “...shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.”, and that “there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect” (Matt 24:21,24).
“Behold, I have told you before.” Jesus declared (Matt 24:25) Yes, deception is the name of Satan’s game, and we are indeed headed for “great signs and wonders” employed to deceive us on a grand scale. But God, in His Devine Wisdom, has given us His Word that we might dispel such “lying wonders” (2Thes 2:9) with “it is written”.
In the face of Satan’s temptations in the wilderness, after forty days of fasting and being exceedingly hungry, Jesus stood firmly upon the written word of God, declaring scriptural truths that kept Him on spiritually solid ground.
“...It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4
As with Jesus, we must turn to God’s Word in order to comprehend and stand against the coming deception. But His Word needs to be firmly grounded within us for, just as Jesus was “hungry”, so shall we be driven by our desires. As such, we are clearly given by what measure we determine darkness…
“To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” Isaiah 8:20
As such, with God’s Word as our guide, we can identify how we have already been deceived and how that deception has been paving a way to making us vulnerable to a bigger lie.
I would therefore like to start that journey by addressing the first lie that was ever told mankind. A lie that, whether you’re aware of it or not, has played a foundational role in establishing many false doctrines.
“And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die...” Genesis 3:4
This was the first lie that Satan used to deceive mankind, to which Christians would all be in agreement that it is indeed a lie, for it clearly contradicts God who told Adam that if he ate of the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” then…
“thou shalt surely die.” Genesis 2:17
Yet, despite our knowing that Satan has lied to us, contradicting God’s word by saying that we “surely will not die”, is it possible that many Christians today have fallen for this lie?
Please let me explain…
Whether you’re familiar with the term or not, a large proportion of Christians today believe in the ‘immortality of the soul’ – Meaning that most Christians believe that when we “die”, that being the death of our physical bodies, we actually don’t die because our cognitively conscious and aware selves, in spiritual form, are immediately taken up to Heaven.
This false doctrine proves Satan’s lie to be true, while God’s truth remains that our loved ones are “asleep” in death, awaiting the resurrection at Christ’s return.
“So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.” Job 14:12
Often, we tell ourselves that our loved ones, who have passed, are now in heaven looking down on us, but is this what the Bible actually teaches, or is this simply a “fable”, as Paul warned us about in 2nd Timothy 4:3,4?
Now, please understand that I’m fully aware of the emotional relationship we may hold to the belief that our loved ones are now in heaven, and that this emotional attachment may lead us to grasp hold of scriptural texts that seem to affirm our position, while ignoring clear “thus saith the Lord” statements that teach otherwise. As a result, we may even choose to close our eyes to the importance of this doctrine, claiming that it’s not a “salvation issue” and we therefore need not concern ourselves with the truth of the matter.
But, again, to do so would deny what Christ has taught us in His Word… a truth that He clearly wants us to understand so that we will not be deceived.
As such, I would like to take some time to look at what the Bible teaches about death and how this clear teaching gives us a firm foundation of truth upon which we can stand, preparing us to hold firm to God’s Word and declare, as Jesus, that “it is written” (Matt 4:4), despite the “signs and lying wonders” (2Thes 2:9) that would convince us otherwise.✞-------------------------------------
It’s true that there was a time that the thought of Christ’s return was not so welcoming. Not only because I knew I was unprepared, but also because I felt that my children and I would be robbed of the opportunities of this life – as if what God has prepared for us in life-eternal wouldn’t compare to the successes of this world.
I don’t think this way anymore, for I believe God’s Word that says no “...eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (1 Cor 2:9). This clearly speaks to me of the amazing beauty, joy and splendour that transcends our ability to even comprehend.
However, with the soon return of Christ comes a very dire warning about deception – and this is the heart of my message - for yes, when the disciples asked Jesus “...when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” (Matt 24:3), Jesus’ first words were…
“Take heed that no man deceives you.” Matthew 24:4
But Jesus didn’t stop there, for he continued to warn us that prior to His return there “...shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.”, and that “there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect” (Matt 24:21,24).
“Behold, I have told you before.” Jesus declared (Matt 24:25) Yes, deception is the name of Satan’s game, and we are indeed headed for “great signs and wonders” employed to deceive us on a grand scale. But God, in His Devine Wisdom, has given us His Word that we might dispel such “lying wonders” (2Thes 2:9) with “it is written”.
In the face of Satan’s temptations in the wilderness, after forty days of fasting and being exceedingly hungry, Jesus stood firmly upon the written word of God, declaring scriptural truths that kept Him on spiritually solid ground.
“...It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4
As with Jesus, we must turn to God’s Word in order to comprehend and stand against the coming deception. But His Word needs to be firmly grounded within us for, just as Jesus was “hungry”, so shall we be driven by our desires. As such, we are clearly given by what measure we determine darkness…
“To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” Isaiah 8:20
As such, with God’s Word as our guide, we can identify how we have already been deceived and how that deception has been paving a way to making us vulnerable to a bigger lie.
I would therefore like to start that journey by addressing the first lie that was ever told mankind. A lie that, whether you’re aware of it or not, has played a foundational role in establishing many false doctrines.
“And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die...” Genesis 3:4
This was the first lie that Satan used to deceive mankind, to which Christians would all be in agreement that it is indeed a lie, for it clearly contradicts God who told Adam that if he ate of the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” then…
“thou shalt surely die.” Genesis 2:17
Yet, despite our knowing that Satan has lied to us, contradicting God’s word by saying that we “surely will not die”, is it possible that many Christians today have fallen for this lie?
Please let me explain…
Whether you’re familiar with the term or not, a large proportion of Christians today believe in the ‘immortality of the soul’ – Meaning that most Christians believe that when we “die”, that being the death of our physical bodies, we actually don’t die because our cognitively conscious and aware selves, in spiritual form, are immediately taken up to Heaven.
This false doctrine proves Satan’s lie to be true, while God’s truth remains that our loved ones are “asleep” in death, awaiting the resurrection at Christ’s return.
“So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.” Job 14:12
Often, we tell ourselves that our loved ones, who have passed, are now in heaven looking down on us, but is this what the Bible actually teaches, or is this simply a “fable”, as Paul warned us about in 2nd Timothy 4:3,4?
Now, please understand that I’m fully aware of the emotional relationship we may hold to the belief that our loved ones are now in heaven, and that this emotional attachment may lead us to grasp hold of scriptural texts that seem to affirm our position, while ignoring clear “thus saith the Lord” statements that teach otherwise. As a result, we may even choose to close our eyes to the importance of this doctrine, claiming that it’s not a “salvation issue” and we therefore need not concern ourselves with the truth of the matter.
But, again, to do so would deny what Christ has taught us in His Word… a truth that He clearly wants us to understand so that we will not be deceived.
As such, I would like to take some time to look at what the Bible teaches about death and how this clear teaching gives us a firm foundation of truth upon which we can stand, preparing us to hold firm to God’s Word and declare, as Jesus, that “it is written” (Matt 4:4), despite the “signs and lying wonders” (2Thes 2:9) that would convince us otherwise.✞-------------------------------------